Improvement welectric railway signals



HENRY w. sPANG, 0F READ-ING,PENNSYLVANIA.`

IMPROVEMENT incise-rule nAlLwAv slcuus.

l Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No, 14038?. dated July 8,1873; application filed April 12, 1 872.

To allwhom it may Be it known that'I, HENRY ,W..-SPANG of Reading in the county of Berks and State of' Pennsylvania, have'invented a certain Elec-A trical Railwaysignal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification:

The invention relates to displaying safety or danger signals when a railway. track between given points is either clear or obstruct' ed, or when a train is approaching a street or road crossing, and to such other purposes as it may be applicable.

Figure l is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a suchheight as to be easily'discern'ible' by .the

engineer and others connected with-.the train.l

D D- E E' are pairs of electro-n1agnets, which yare connected bythe insulated wires a af; F

F' are also 'electro-magnets, situated above the electro-magnets DD E E', and carried bythe -same housings. G is an armature-lever, which gvibrates with the lrod b, turning in the housings; H H are armatures of the same, placed opposite to the magnets of the electro-magnets D D E E. The upper end of the lever G is slotted longitudinally to admit the adj ustable,

crank-pinl c, which takes into the longitudinal slotd of the crank 1 of the transverse shaft J.

K isa toothed sector'on the shaft J ,"it meshes with the pinion L on the ltransverse shaftl M, which carries the revolving signal-frame- N.

The signal-frameNon the horizontal shaft Mis, in this instance, divided into two parts, des-ignated as red and white, though other divisions and colors can be used. -By suitable catches.

orl stops the signal can be arrestedatany con# venient point of its revolution, whereby the proper safety or danger signal can be' shown. O is an armature of the `'electro-magnets F F.

` .Itis carried' by theA lever P "of the shaft Q.' R

isa pawl of the same shaft, which meshes withthe' toothed sector K. `S S are the tracks of a railway.. T T are insulated metallic plates at the side'of either rail, but not in .contact with the same. U' is a battery; e e', its poles.

and is connected with the pole e. by the inemv lated wire zo.. The pole e' connects with the electrolmagnet E by the wire x1; 'the electro magnet F withthe insulated plate T by the vwire frz; the magnets E' and F by the 'wire n the magnets D F by the wirem; the magnetF/and the contact or insulated-.plate T bythe wire 5v5; pole-e tothe electro-mag'- .net D Vby the wire we. Each electro-magnet of a pair is lconnected withl its' fellow also by an insulated wire. The rail S is in contact with :the earth, ,and the electric current is broken. 'incomplete itcontact must be 'made between the insulated plate T and the rail; then an electric earthcircuit-will vbe had with ythe iron bar V in the ground.

When a car, engine, or other vehicle passes overtheginsulated pla-te T the thread ofy the wheels isthe medium of contact betweenthe said plate Tand the raih whereby the 'electric circuit is completed. The armature H `ofthe electro-magnets E'E, and the armature Oef the electroimagnets F Ff, are vattracted by their respective lmagnets at the. same instant of time.- The armature O unme'shcs the pawl R and the sector K, thereby leaving thesig'- nal-shaft'M free to turn. The armature H, being attracted by vits'magnets, vibrates the armature-lever G, which,ithrongh themedium of .the crank-pin o, crank'I, toothed sectorK,

and the vpinion L, revolves the shaft M of the signal N, 'causing it to sliowthe redor'dangersignal.` After the car'ortrain has passed over the insulated plate T the lelectric current is broken, and thearmatures refuse Ato act. The spring f brings the pawl R into the meshes or teeth of the tooth sector, and thereby prevents the signal-frame N' from turning, the danger or 'red signal being displayed to any train following. When the wheels of the train pass lover the insulated plate T the thread of the wheels again complete the electric circuit by connecting the said 'insulated plate andthe rail, by-means of the earth circuit, with the iron jbar V. The' electreniagnets D D and F F attract their respective armatures-H and 0. The paw'l R unmeshes from the tooth sector K. The armature-lever is vibrated ina completed the circuit at the insulated plate V is an iron bar, which` is-buried in the earth,V ,-fl, and exhibited the redlight. I`This movenient revolves the` signal-shaft M,`and causes the sigual-frameptoxhibit the white or safety signal, notifying any'train following' that the track betweenthe pointsB 0 is clear. -The slotted end-voi' thejarmature -lever 'G and the slotted crankI, together with the adjustable crank-pin 0,'1'egulate the speed and the degree of motion of the tooth-sector,and, of consequence, the revolving signal N, with respect tothe degree of the vibration of .the armaturelever.

The signal apparatus can b e used for indicating the position of a railway switch by ds= pensing with the electro-magnets F F', armature O, lever P, shaft Q, and the pawl R, and causing an electriccircuit to pass through the or white signal when the switch is in its proper lposition, and transferring, by means of'a circuitchanger, the electric circuit to and through the electro-magnets EE', and thereby display the red or danger signal when'the V switch has been misplaced.

I claim as my invention- 1. An electric railway signal which revolves onor around its center, and the face of which is divided into two or more signals, as shown..

2. Thel slotted armature-lever G, .in combi. nation with the slotted crank I and the adjustable crank-pin c, substantially. as and for the purpose shown and described-v 3. The toothed sector K, pinion L, shaft J, and 'the revolving signal N, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

4. 'The toothed sector K, pawl R, shaft Q, lever P, and the armature O, substantially as land for the purpose shown and described.

i In testimony whereof I hereunto sign 'my name in presence of two subscribing'witnesses. electro-magnets D D', and display the `safety HENRY W. SPANG. Y

Witnesses:

U. T. SELLERS, CEAS. A. HOMAN.. 

